Calorie goal way too high?

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Majademeno
Majademeno Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone!
I am a newbie in any kind of proper weight loss program, I signed up today and after filling in my info I got my calories intake to 1820 (plus an additional 769 for workout).
I am around 110kg for 165cm, my activity level is sedentary as I have an office job and I am trying to loose weight through dieting and workout but even without adding the 700+ calories for workout the goal seems off as I am eating enough and even struggling a bit to hit the goal. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks y'all!

Replies

  • kardsharp
    kardsharp Posts: 618 Member
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    No, you are not doing anything wrong.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited September 2018
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    Are you sure you put in the correct activity level - that box is for non-exercise activity, so you're double-dipping if you also eat back exercise calories. (You're triple-dipping unless you make sure your burns are correct.) And weekly weightloss goal is important - you can start with 1 kilo per week.

    Please read update below...
  • Majademeno
    Majademeno Posts: 6 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Are you sure you put in the correct activity level - that box is for non-exercise activity, so you're double-dipping if you also eat back exercise calories. (You're triple-dipping unless you make sure your burns are correct.) And weekly weightloss goal is important - you can start with 1 kilo per week.

    I am sure, I marked myself as sedentary and then added the workout on my daily diary, so the count is now 1820+769. Even without the workout is seems a ton to me!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited September 2018
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    Majademeno wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Are you sure you put in the correct activity level - that box is for non-exercise activity, so you're double-dipping if you also eat back exercise calories. (You're triple-dipping unless you make sure your burns are correct.) And weekly weightloss goal is important - you can start with 1 kilo per week.

    I am sure, I marked myself as sedentary and then added the workout on my daily diary, so the count is now 1820+769. Even without the workout is seems a ton to me!

    Also consider this:
    There is the question of whether you're logging correctly - if I read that right - if you struggle to get in "all your calories", and you're overweight, and you're aiming for weightloss, you should start to suspect that you're eating more than you think you are. 1820+769 real calories is not a ton of food.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited September 2018
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    Majademeno wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Are you sure you put in the correct activity level - that box is for non-exercise activity, so you're double-dipping if you also eat back exercise calories. (You're triple-dipping unless you make sure your burns are correct.) And weekly weightloss goal is important - you can start with 1 kilo per week.

    I am sure, I marked myself as sedentary and then added the workout on my daily diary, so the count is now 1820+769. Even without the workout is seems a ton to me!

    Assuming you have entered everything correctly:

    Start out by eating your daily calorie allotment plus 1/2 of your workout calories. After doing this for 4-6 weeks, see what your average weekly weight loss is. If you are losing faster than target, eat back more of your exercise calories. If you are losing slower than target, eat back fewer. As long as you are weighing all solids and semi solids and measuring all liquids (except water) and logging everything you ingest, the biggest variable (and most likely area for error) is your exercise calories.

    Are you thinking it is too much food because you feel stuffed? Maybe switch out a few high bulk but low calorie foods for more calorie dense ones. You won't feel like you are eating too much then

    Personally, I eat all of my allotted calories and 3/4 of exercise calories. My Vivofit slightly overestimates my burn.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Did you pick the right age and weightloss rate? The only way I can recreate 1820 calories, with your height, weight and sedentary, is year of birth 1962 and "lose .25 kilo per week".
  • jeffjeff85
    jeffjeff85 Posts: 118 Member
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    At 5'5" and 220lbs it's likely you're eating more calories than you think.
    And 800 calorie workout is a bunch, isn't it?
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Did you pick the right age and weightloss rate? The only way I can recreate 1820 calories, with your height, weight and sedentary, is year of birth 1962 and "lose .25 kilo per week".

    Not sure where you are looking but I entered her stats into Scoobys Workshop and got 1927 calories for sedentary and losing 1 lb per week, so 1820 seems reasonable.

    Probably not a good idea to confuse the OP more than she already is with talk of double and triple dipping.
  • Majademeno
    Majademeno Posts: 6 Member
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    jeffjeff85 wrote: »
    At 5'5" and 220lbs it's likely you're eating more calories than you think.
    And 800 calorie workout is a bunch, isn't it?

    Yes definitely too much, I did have a heavy workout but I am sure the app is overestimating it, I wasn't counting on relying on that.

    I have considered the eating more than I think, the same suggestion was in other threads, but since this morning I have been weighting and counting everything. I am definitely not full, actually I am hungry, but I am blaming it on working out as my portions have only slightly decreased.

    I am definitely not going to eat more than usual to meet the goal, it sounds crazy, but I just wonder what data (which I checked and re checked) I filled in wrong
  • Majademeno
    Majademeno Posts: 6 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Majademeno wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Are you sure you put in the correct activity level - that box is for non-exercise activity, so you're double-dipping if you also eat back exercise calories. (You're triple-dipping unless you make sure your burns are correct.) And weekly weightloss goal is important - you can start with 1 kilo per week.

    I am sure, I marked myself as sedentary and then added the workout on my daily diary, so the count is now 1820+769. Even without the workout is seems a ton to me!

    Also consider this:
    There is the question of whether you're logging correctly - if I read that right - if you struggle to get in "all your calories", and you're overweight, and you're aiming for weightloss, you should start to suspect that you're eating more than you think you are. 1820+769 real calories is not a ton of food.

    I copy what I answered to someone else, forgive my laziness.

    I have considered eating more than I think, the same suggestion was in similar threads, but since this morning I have been weighting and counting everything. I am definitely not full, actually I am hungry, but I am blaming it on working out as my portions have only slightly decreased.

    I am definitely not going to eat more than usual to meet the goal, it sounds crazy, but I just wonder what data (which I checked and re checked) I filled in wrong
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Majademeno wrote: »
    jeffjeff85 wrote: »
    At 5'5" and 220lbs it's likely you're eating more calories than you think.
    And 800 calorie workout is a bunch, isn't it?

    Yes definitely too much, I did have a heavy workout but I am sure the app is overestimating it, I wasn't counting on relying on that.

    I have considered the eating more than I think, the same suggestion was in other threads, but since this morning I have been weighting and counting everything. I am definitely not full, actually I am hungry, but I am blaming it on working out as my portions have only slightly decreased.

    I am definitely not going to eat more than usual to meet the goal, it sounds crazy, but I just wonder what data (which I checked and re checked) I filled in wrong

    Doesn't look like you entered anything wrong. Until you have more real life data to go by, assume your workouts are overestimating the calories burned and only eat back part of it.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    What was your workout that burnt 800 cals?
  • Majademeno
    Majademeno Posts: 6 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    What was your workout that burnt 800 cals?

    I swam for an hour and a half but that estimate sounds way too high even to me, I am not relying on it
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Majademeno wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    What was your workout that burnt 800 cals?

    I swam for an hour and a half but that estimate sounds way too high even to me, I am not relying on it

    Swimming tends to be one of the highest calorie burning activities. You are working all of your large muscle groups AND you are pulling your entire body mass against water which has more resistance than air and gravity. Having said that, MFP's database does overestimate calories burned.

    I swim too and use the MFP database entry for "Swimming, leisurely, general" instead of the one for the stroke that I do. I eat back 3/4 of my calories earned and still lose at my preferred rate.
  • Majademeno
    Majademeno Posts: 6 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    Majademeno wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    What was your workout that burnt 800 cals?

    I swam for an hour and a half but that estimate sounds way too high even to me, I am not relying on it

    Swimming tends to be one of the highest calorie burning activities. You are working all of your large muscle groups AND you are pulling your entire body mass against water which has more resistance than air and gravity. Having said that, MFP's database does overestimate calories burned.

    I swim too and use the MFP database entry for "Swimming, leisurely, general" instead of the one for the stroke that I do. I eat back 3/4 of my calories earned and still lose at my preferred rate.

    This is actually a very useful advice, thanks!

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